An expanded Cowpuncher My Ass arrives for one night only on Wednesday 15 February 2023 at the Royal Festival Hall, following its previous stagings in the Queen Elizabeth Hall in 2018 and 2020.
Originally commissioned by the Southbank Centre, 2023’s production will transform the Royal Festival Hall into Holly Blakey and Mica Levi’s "visceral Western-inspired world", featuring the London Contemporary Orchestra for the first time.
Cowpuncher My Ass explores the vibrant and often violent Wild West genre. Cowboys wrestle with gender stereotypes, identity and sexual politics as they venture into the territory between high art and popular culture. The costumes, from corseted dresses to oversized shirts and western belts, are designed by Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood to evoke a modern spirit of punk.
Blakey said, “it has been four years of playing with this sequel of ideas, unearthing and retelling and driving somewhere new. I am honoured and excited to close this journey at the Royal Festival Hall with collaborators I so love and admire.”